Focus on entrepreneurship at UW-Whitewater forum

Entrepreneurs and small business leaders from across the U.S. will head to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for "The Public Forum on Entrepreneurship Excellence" on May 5 on campus at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Facebook photo

WHITEWATER—Entrepreneurs and small business leaders from across the U.S. will head to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for “The Public Forum on Entrepreneurship Excellence” on Monday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Timothy J. Hyland Hall—which is home to the College of Business and Economics and The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

UW-Whitewater and the USASBE are organizing the event.

“We're proud to host such a dynamic program,” said Christine Clements, dean of the College of Business and Economics. “At UW-Whitewater we've cultivated an entrepreneurial ecosystem where new business ideas flourish. Attendees will hear firsthand how innovative leaders can build successful companies.”

Gov. Scott Walker will kick off the forum by proclaiming May 5 as “Small Business and Entrepreneurship Day” in the state of Wisconsin.

Multimillionaire businessman and New York Times best-selling author Steve Kaplan will talk about a holistic approach to expanding a business. Scott Gittrich, CEO of Toppers Pizza, will explain how marketing and operations can set a company apart.

A panel of successful young alumni from UW-Whitewater will include Henry Schwartz, founder and CEO of MobCraft Beer, a crowd-sourced brewery; Matthew Bartel, founder of Digital Measures, a Web-based solution that revolutionized the process of course evaluations; and Joe Scanlin, co-founder and CEO of Scanalytics, which produces devices and software to understand consumer behavior. The trio will share success stories and discuss best practices.

“There is going to be a ton of talent both on stage and in the audience at this event,” said Patrick Snyder, executive director of USASBE. “We couldn't be more excited about the way everything has come together and our partnership with UW-Whitewater.”